Keep Moving Forward

It’s difficult to believe that we’re already entering the last days of January. While 2015 has already brought its fair share of excitement, stress, and opportunity, part of me still feels as though I’m stuck somewhere in the middle of last year, sewing my costume and preparing for Halloween. Word to the wise, on that note–don’t attempt to sew a spandex bodysuit on your own unless you’re very confident with your needle skills. Yikes.

It can be very easy to fall into a little bit of a rut around the beginning of any new year, when it seems like time is flying by so quickly while you’re still tying up all the loose ends of the last year. This is not only a regrettable truth for individuals, but also for businesses as they work to move forward, grow, and continue expanding their horizons. It’s much easier to play the coulda-shoulda-woulda game and reflect on unreached goals than it is to set your best foot forward and set new goals that better suit your needs.

Try something different this year. Make it your goal to set more goals for yourself and don’t forget to celebrate the small victories. If you’ve found yourself a little more stagnant than you’d like to be, especially as far as content marketing is concerned, here are just a few tips I use to keep moving forward:

• Don’t be too hard on yourself. Maybe your latest blog didn’t get as many viewers as you would have liked, or maybe your last Tweet left you down a follower or two. Perhaps you didn’t achieve as much growth as you hoped for in 2014. While it’s good to understand these shortcomings, don’t berate yourself, or you’ll just dig deeper into that rut. Use your missed goals as learning opportunities and adjust your vision accordingly.
• Set goals for yourself, but don’t make them too lofty. Setting goals can be an exciting process for any individual or business, whether they pertain to content marketing, growth, value, or just personal betterment. Just try not to make your expectations too high, or there’s a good chance you’ll be met with disappointment. Instead, give yourself a number of smaller, more attainable resolutions, and keep building upon them once you’ve checked them off of your list.
• Reach out to friends and colleagues. Especially for small business owners and entrepreneurs, there may be times when you find yourself so wrapped up in your work that you’ve shut yourself off from the rest of the world. It’s great to concentrate on your passion, but don’t forget to take advantage of those great resources that surround you–if for nothing more than a welcomed coffee break. Who knows; maybe an impromptu meeting could help you solve some of your more puzzling issues.

The most important thing in any campaign–whether it is to expand your content marketing influence, to grow your company, or even just to keep up with a daily workout regimen–is to keep moving forward. Any setbacks are opportunities for you to learn, revise, and improve. If you’d like to learn more about content and social media, contact Elephant Ear at (321) 537-2649 today.